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Centurion, Dec 29 (IANS): South Africa captain Temba Bavuma revealed it was an emotional moment for him personally as the Proteas sealed a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final after registering a gripping two-wicket win against Pakistan in Centurion on Sunday. "Quite an emotional moment for me. Lot of joy and happiness on our side. We did the hard way. But glad we won. I was still sulking," Bavuma said after the match. Before the start of the Boxing Day Test in Centurion, South Africa were on the top of the standings for the next year's summit clash at Lord's. A win against Pakistan ensured that they would finish the standings in the top two to secure a place in their maiden WTC final. However, the win was not easy for the hosts despite chasing 148 as they crumbled on the way before Kagiso Rabada (31 not out) and Marco Jansen (16 not out) finally got them over the line to seal their maiden WTC final appearance. Bavuma lauded Aiden Markram for scoring 89 in the first innings that set the tone of the win and also earned him Player of the Match. "Aiden get them going. Wasn't a lot of conversations. We still had the confidence. I didn't come out to the viewing area and was in the toilet. I came when 15 runs were needed. It is a big win. Not just for myself. But for the coaches. The way we started our campaign against India. We weren't given much of a chance. We weren't ruthless. But we kept finding ways. We hope the guys can get confidence from performances like these. Guys get picked on when they do badly. We would like to enjoy the moment and take stock of what we have done," the skipper said. The Proteas were already on top of the WTC standings after a 2-0 series sweep against Sri Lanka at home. Having played 11 Tests in the ongoing cycle, South Africa boast seven wins and a 66.67 point percentage. Having started off the ongoing cycle with a drawn series at home against India, followed by a clean sweep at the hands of New Zealand, the Proteas bounced back with impressive wins away from home against West Indies and Bangladesh, followed by dominant displays at home. Bavuma-led side pipped Australia, India and Sri Lanka – who are also in contention – to become the first team to book a spot in the final, barring any point deductions owing to slow-over rate.Sustainability Management Software Market size is set to grow by USD 1.47 billion from 2024-2028, shift toward green initiatives to boost the revenue- TechnavioEgypt’s Abdelatty advocates for Gaza Ceasefire at Rome Forum, meets French counterpart

For more than 30 years, a man known as Roger A. Pearce Jr. worked as a prosperous land-use and zoning attorney in Oregon and Washington. He represented some of the Pacific Northwest’s most prominent people and businesses and took on high-profile projects. He served on planning commissions, nonprofit boards and racked up hours doing pro bono legal work. He and his wife retired to a $1.4 million condo on Seattle’s Lake Washington. By all accounts, the now-77-year-old had made a good name for himself. Except one thing: Roger Pearce wasn’t actually his name. It belonged to a baby who died in Vermont in 1952. Pearce stole the identity when he was in his early 20s and looking to leave his troubles behind – college dropout, check fraud, a failed marriage. The State Department unmasked him only in 2022 during a review of one of his applications for a new passport. Federal workers detected that he had applied for a new Social Security number as an adult – a red flag. But they still couldn’t figure out who he truly was. So prosecutors last year indicted the man in federal court in Oregon as “John Doe,” charging him with making a false statement in an application for a passport, a felony. He was arrested last year on a warrant in Washington. When he pleaded guilty three months ago to an identity fraud misdemeanor, the courtroom deputy, at the judge’s behest, asked him to state his name for the record. “My birth name was Willie Ragan Casper Jr.,” he said, marking the first time since his arrest that he gave his real name under oath. “The name I’ve gone under and been known as for the last over 50 years is Roger Alfred Pearce Jr.” When he stood Wednesday in Portland to receive his sentence, he offered an explanation for his decades of duplicity. “I really wanted to start over,” he said. ‘I FELT THE FAILURE’ Casper was born in Jackson, Mississippi, in December 1946, the older of two boys. He seized an opportunity to leave his hometown to attend Rice University in Texas but wasn’t prepared for the rigor of the classes and dropped out. An early marriage ended around the same time. Then Casper got involved in fraud, writing checks on a bank account with no money in what he called a “fairly naive” anti-war protest against banks during the Vietnam War era, he said. “I was a young person, confused, depressed. I felt the failure,” he said in court, reading in a steady voice from an open binder resting on the defense table in front of him. Casper, tall, slim and white-haired, sat upright beside his lawyer. He wore a black blazer and gray slacks, a white shirt and a black tie that he adjusted just before the judge arrived on the bench. He looked every bit the experienced lawyer he typically portrayed in court during his three-decade-long career, even engaging in small talk with the prosecutor before the hearing began. “I was ashamed that I had wasted a lot of my parents’ money supporting me in a distant city they couldn’t really afford,” Casper said. “My marriage had fallen apart. I had no real career prospects.” He said he also was worried about getting arrested for his check-kiting. A friend had been caught renting a car with a false ID and police had come to the house they shared. He wasn’t home at the time but feared police would return, looking for him. He spoke for about six minutes as his wife sat in the front row behind him in the public gallery. A psychologist who evaluated Casper and submitted a sealed report to the judge was present by video but didn’t speak. Casper said he stayed another six weeks in Houston and then fled. He also changed his identity. “I wanted to start over with a clean slate,” he said. “I felt like everything was at a dead end for me there in Texas.” In 1971, he stole the name of a dead child using the baby’s birth certificate. It’s unclear who gave him the certificate or if he paid for it, but his lawyer said birth certificates were apparently easy to come by during the anti-Vietnam era as others used them to try to evade the draft. Two years later, when he was in his late 20s, he applied for a Social Security number in the name of Roger Alfred Pearce Jr., using the dead baby’s birth certificate. Casper first went to Montana, then to Oregon, where he had some friends in Eugene. “The decision to change my name at that time was foolish, of course. At the time, I viewed it as a clean break from the past,” he said. I was also naive and in love with grand gestures, like some young people are.” He found work and took classes at Lane Community College in the early 1970s, records show. He made new friends, he said. “I crawled out of being depressed and within a few years, that new name was absolutely normal to me,” he told the judge. “After that, I have never thought of myself as other than Roger Pearce.” He did a stint as a dancer and singer in New York before ending up in Seattle, working for a bakery and then got the idea to go to law school, according to his lawyer. He enrolled in what was then the University of Puget Sound law school in Tacoma without a college degree, graduating in his mid-40s as the first in his class, summa cum laude in May 1991, according to his lawyer. He went on to a successful career with the Seattle-based firm Foster Pepper LLC, representing Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s Vulcan development company and serving as a lawyer for the Seattle Monorail Popular Authority. In 2014, he was admitted to the Oregon State Bar, later moved back to Oregon and opened Pearce Law in Ashland. He served as chair of Ashland’s planning commission and as a Jackson County hearings officer. He also was secretary of the Rotary Club of Ashland and secretary of the Ashland New Plays Association. ‘FALSE PRETENSES’ His façade cracked in 2022 when the State Department discovered an unresolved irregularity in his Social Security number. When Casper had gotten his fraudulent number, technology wasn’t available to track the birth certificate he submitted back to a dead child. But the federal government now has fraud detection that screens passport applications of people who received Social Security numbers as adults. Late-issued Social Security numbers strongly correlate to fraud, Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan D. Knight wrote in his sentencing memo. The State Department’s screening has caught members of the mafia and other criminals trying to avoid detection. This time, it caught Casper. He had applied for a U.S. passport in 1991 and then renewed it twice more — in 2003 and May 2013 in Ashland. His applications got flagged as suspicious. State Department investigators then confirmed the Pearce name he was using was of someone who had died and had been submitted illegally to get a passport. But they couldn’t figure out his true name — only that the man claiming to be Pearce lived in Oregon and Washington and had been practicing law since 1991. “This is a case, from a criminal perspective, more about who the defendant is not, than who he is,” Knight said. In January 2023, a federal grand jury in Oregon returned a one-count indictment charging “John Doe” with making a false statement on his passport application and he was arrested in Seattle. In a plea deal in August, Casper pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of producing an identification document without lawful authority. The maximum penalty is a year in prison and a $1,000 fine. Prosecutors had weighed his “sustained act of deception” with his “otherwise law-abiding existence” and “fundamental decency,” Knight said. When defense lawyer Janet Lee Hoffman tried to explain at the plea hearing that Casper had pursued an illustrious legal career, the judge hastened to interject. “Under false pretenses,” U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon pointed out. ‘CHOICE THAT FEW RECEIVE’ At the start of sentencing Wednesday, Simon asked, “Do you want me to refer to your client as Mr. Pearce, Mr. Doe or Mr. Casper.” Hoffman said Pearce. She sought a year of probation for her client, but the prosecutor recommended two years. “Every person is responsible for and owns their own history and really the shadow that that casts and the consequences that ultimately may bear out,” Knight said. “The defendant’s choice in this case really is an abdication of that basic principle.” Many people come before the court who would have liked the option Casper took to start anew and leave their past behind, Knight said. “He availed himself of a choice that few receive, and that’s why we’re here today,” he said. Hoffman said the defendant lived a model life under his new identity. “Roger had a stellar career and enhanced each community that he lived in and the lives of everyone he touched,” she said. The judge said he considered Casper’s statement, the psychologist’s evaluation and letters from his wife and from Elisabeth Ann Zinser, a retired Southern Oregon University president who had known him for 10 years. Simon noted that Casper’s wife – Julie Benezet, a Seattle finance lawyer and author – hadn’t said in her letter if she knew of her husband’s long deception. He asked if Casper would say. Casper demurred, replying, “I prefer not to answer,” while acknowledging that he didn’t expect the government to prosecute his wife for fraud. He also said they have a “really wonderful marriage.” Simon said he was troubled that no one had delved into the real Roger Pearce Jr. Based on a photo in the court documents, he noted that the baby’s gravestone indicated he had lived six months and nine days. “It must be tough for a parent to lose a baby after six months, and it would only be worse if they ever knew or learned that someone else falsely took that baby’s name,” Simon said. Knight told the judge that the baby’s parents had both died. Simon then adopted the prosecutor’s recommendation and sentenced Casper to two years of probation. Casper must now relinquish his licenses to practice law in Oregon and Washington and never reapply to practice law. He also faces an Oregon State Bar disciplinary investigation. He is barred from getting a new piece of identification, whether it’s a driver’s license or Social Security number, in any name other than his legal name. But Casper said he intends to legally change his name to Roger Alfred Pearce Jr. soon, making the prohibition moot. “He will always be Roger Pearce,” his lawyer said after court. ‘STILL IN SHOCK’ The actual Roger Alfred Pearce Jr. was born in Montpellier, Vermont, in September 1951 and died March 11, 1952. A younger sister, Dawn Hyttinen, now 51, said she believes her brother died of meningitis. He was the first born of seven children, she said. Their mother died in 2016 and father died in 2020, she said. “I grew up hearing about him,” she said. She said her father didn’t talk about the baby, but her mother always did. But she said no one in her family was told that someone had stolen her brother’s identity or was living under his name. “This is just absolutely crazy,” she said. “I’m flabbergasted.” Government investigators couldn’t find any living relatives of the boy, prosecutors said in court records, but an Oregonian/OregonLive reporter found Hyttinen in Arizona. She said she’s very curious about Casper and how he ended up using her brother’s identity. “I’m still in shock,’’ she said. The same is true for the family that Casper left behind. “He’s alive?!” a stunned Justin Casper blurted when contacted by The Oregonian/OregonLive. He’s the son of Casper’s younger brother, Dr. Robert Casper, now 72. “This is the first I’ve heard anything about him,” said Justin Casper, who lives in Arkansas. “We didn’t have a good answer as to what really happened to him. He’s my dad’s long lost brother.” He said he had heard his uncle had some problem with credit card fraud. “He just kind of left. He took off and never said where he was going. He never had any contact with his family again,” Justin Casper said. “I thought he was dead.” In a coincidence, Justin Casper had tried about six months ago to track down his uncle for his dad but couldn’t find anything online about him and was thinking of hiring a private investigator. He said his father hasn’t talked much about his older brother through the years. “I think it hurt him too much,” Justin Casper said. Now, the nephew is eager to learn what happened. “Why? What in the world? I’m happy that he’s alive,” he said. “Maybe we can reconnect with him, though it’ll be an awkward conversation.” ANOTHER CHANCE In the months since his arrest, Willie Casper said he has had to face his past. He’s had difficult and emotional conversations with colleagues and friends about what he did but said they’ve been supportive. “I didn’t forget my birth name. I didn’t forget my early history,” he said in court. “I think I just literally compartmentalized it because it wasn’t relevant to my day-to-day life.” He added matter of factly: “I was Roger Pearce.” As he’s reflected on his identity, he said he feels good about what he’s accomplished: “I contributed to my community. I think I’ve helped raise a wonderful daughter.” At the same time, he can’t shake his true past. “I’ve also had an opportunity to think about what I’ve walked away from and lost,” he said. At the time he changed his name, he said he was “disengaged and estranged” from his birth family. His parents didn’t understand his anti-war sentiment, his lawyer said. “I really never got back in touch with them,” Casper said. But now, he said, he would be willing to contact his younger brother. He hasn’t seen him in over 50 years. “Perhaps paradoxically,” he said, “this prosecution may give me the chance to recover some of what I’ve lost.” ©2024 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit oregonlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

With bowl season fast approaching, lets take a look at the upcoming Disappointment Bowl featuring the Dallas Cowboys (4-7) and the New York Giants (2-9) on Thanksgiving. There is no skirting the anguish in Dallas over the Cowboys’ miserable season to date. Injuries have played a major role as Dak Prescott, Demarcus Lawrence, Micah Parsons, Trevon Diggs, and Daron Bland have all spent multiple weeks on the sidelines. Each of their absences has exposed an already thin roster. On the bright side, Dallas snapped a 5-game losing streak with a hard fought and yet wacky 34-26 win on the road over the Commanders this past Sunday. QB Cooper Rush threw for 247 yards (24-32) with 2 TDs for a career-best 117.6 passer rating. While the Jets have tried to command everyone’s attention in New York, the Giants will have none of it. They will not be overshadowed. The Giants can be as dysfunctional as any organization, and they are proving it. This past Sunday they lost their sixth game in a row mustering just 7 points while giving up 30 points and 450 yards to the Bucs in a 30-7 shellacking. Dallas is a 4-point favorite, and the Total is set at 37.5. At first glance, that Total seems low even for these two offensively challenged clubs. New York has allowed nearly 25 points per game during their 6-game losing streak and Dallas is on record as prone to giving up chunks of yardage and points especially at home. The OVER is worth considering. Let dive into the numbers and see if we can’t find an additional sweat or two. NBC Sports has all the latest info and analysis you need, including how to tune in for kickoff, odds from DraftKings, player news and updates, and of course our predictions and best bets for the game from our staff of experts. Listen to the Bet the Edge podcast as hosts Jay Croucher and Drew Dinsick provide listeners with sharp actionable insight, market analysis and statistical data to help bettors gain more information before placing their wagers. So, whether you’re targeting spreads and totals, looking for value in futures markets or circling player props, give their podcast a listen to give you that extra edge. Game details and how to watch Giants at Cowboys · Date : Thursday, November 28, 2024 · Time : 4:30 PM ET · Site : AT&T Stadium · City : Arlington, TX · TV/Streaming : FOX NBC Sports is your home for all the latest updates on this matchup, featuring live odds, player news, expert analysis, and predictions. Latest Game Odds for Giants at Cowboys The latest odds courtesy of DraftKings: · Moneyline : New York Giants (+164), Dallas Cowboys (-198) · Spread : Cowboys -4 · Total : 37.5 This number site where it opened with the Cowboys laying 4. The Total has actually dropped a full point. It is the lowest Total of the season for a Dallas game. NBC Sports Bet Best Bets Expert picks & predictions for Giants at Cowboys Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700. Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NFL calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, betting trends, and weather forecasts. Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager. Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Sunday’s game between New York and Dallas: · Moneyline : NBC Sports is recommending a play on the Cowboys on the Moneyline · Spread : NBC Sports is recommending a play on the Cowboys ATS. · Total : NBC Sports is leaning towards a play on the Total OVER 37.5. Giants at Cowboys betting trends and stats · The Giants are 3-8 against the spread this season. · The Giants are 3-8 to the OVER this season. · The Cowboys are 3-8 against the spread this season. · The Cowboys are 7-4 to the OVER this season. · Dallas has won 15 of the last 15 games against the Giants. · New York has not won in Dallas since 2016. · Cooper Rush improved to 6-3 both straight-up and ATS as a starter with the win over Washington this past Sunday. Quarterback matchup for Giants at Cowboys · New York : Tommy DeVito – the 2 nd year signal-caller could not move the ball consistently on Sunday against Tampa Bay. He did complete 21 of 31 passes for 189 yards with 0 TDs and 0 INTs. · Dallas : Cooper Rush – the 7-year career backup completed 75% of his passes on Sunday against Washington for 247 yards with 2 TDs. Giants at Cowboys Injury Update New York OLB Azeez Ojulari (toe) is questionable for Thursday’s game. New York DL D.J. Davidson (ankle) is questionable for Thursday’s game. New York G Jermaine Eluemunor (quad) is questionable for Thursday’s game. Dallas OT Tyler Smith (ankle) is questionable for Thursday’s game. Dallas WR Brandin Cooks (knee) is questionable for Thursday’s game. Dallas G Zack Martin (ankle/shoulder) is questionable for Thursday’s game. Dallas TE Jake Ferguson (concussion) is questionable for Thursday’s game. Dallas CB Trevon Diggs (groin/knee) is questionable for Thursday’s game. Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest and tools for the NFL, including game predictions, player props, futures, and trends! Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff: · Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) · Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas) · Jay Croucher (@croucherJD) · Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)Audi developed a good reputation among car enthusiasts and engineering nerds with its all-wheel drive systems and the motorsports success they wrought, but it was premium sedans like the A6 that took the brand mainstream. Now, the Audi A6 is getting an all-electric makeover. Scheduled to reach the United States next year, the 2025 Audi A6 e-tron uses a familiar name to draw attention to Audi’s latest and greatest EV hardware. It shares the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) with the Audi Q6 e-tron SUV, with greater efficiency and charging capability than Audi’s first-generation EVs. But like the gasoline A6, the e-tron will still compete against sedans from BMW and Mercedes-Benz, in this case the i5 and EQE, respectively. While the U.S. launch is still a few months out, Audi staged a global media drive for the A6 e-tron in Tenerife, part of the sun-soaked Canary Islands. The base single-motor rear-wheel drive A6 e-tron and the range-topping dual-motor all-wheel drive S6 e-tron were on hand to test, but Audi will also offer a mid-level dual-motor A6 e-tron quattro model when this electric car appears on this side of the Atlantic. 2025 Audi A6 e-tron: design The A6 e-tron updates Audi’s signature look for the electric era. While it’s no longer necessary, a big shield-like grille (what Audi calls the Singleframe) remains. But, in the reverse of traditional internal-combustion car design norms, it’s body-color with the surrounding area blacked out. This also hides the basic rectangles that serve as the A6’s headlights, drawing more attention to the stylized daytime running lights above. While it uses a low-floor version of the PPE architecture to give it true sedan proportions, the A6 e-tron is still more upright and formal looking than Audi’s other electric sedan, the e-tron GT . But that’s in keeping with the A6’s role as a more traditional premium-sedan counterpart to the performance-focused GT. This styling also gives the Audi a more stately appearance than the wonky-looking BMW i5 and likely won’t invite as much controversy as the lozenge-like silhouette of the Mercedes-Benz EQE sedan . Audi even got fairly close to the Mercedes’ low drag coefficient (Cd) — an important metric for EVs as aerodynamics play a greater role in overall efficiency than in combustion cars. U.S.-spec versions of the A6 e-tron have a Cd of 0.23, compared to 0.22 for the EQE, and European models come in even lower thanks in part to the use of camera pods instead of exterior mirrors. The closeness is more apparent from the inside, where the A6’s steeply-raked front roof pillar forces a seating position far away from the windshield, while a tiny rear window limits visibility in that direction. Audi did at least find room for 26 cubic feet of trunk space — more than a BMW i5 — plus a small frunk with 0.9 cubic feet of storage space. Like BMW, Audi also gave the A6 e-tron a curved dashboard display, but here, the interior seems to have been truly designed around it. The dashboard has a prominent peak in its center to accommodate the display’s curve, a detail that’s repeated in the angular shape of the door panels. Audi also gave the A6 e-tron a squared-off steering wheel that makes it easier to see the oversized instrument cluster. These elements add visual interest, but they can’t camouflage interior materials that seem below this car’s station. Our S6 e-tron test car had nice bucket seats and microfiber trim, but even that didn’t compensate for taxicab-grade plastic elsewhere in the cabin. 2025 Audi A6 e-tron: specs 2025 Audi A6 e-tron: tech Audi continues to follow the current auto industry trend of crowding the dashboard with screens. A curved dashboard display consists of an 11.9-inch digital instrument cluster and a 14.5-inch touchscreen placed side-by-side in the same housing, with a 10.9-inch touchscreen for the front passenger. The infotainment system uses an Android-based operating system, but both wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are still included. This isn’t the first car to feature a curved display or a third screen, but this is the first application where they work together well. Both the instrument cluster and main touchscreen are perfectly positioned; I barely needed to tilt my head to glance from one to the other, and I didn’t need to reach at all to use the touchscreen. This means the curved display is tilted away from the front passenger, though, making their screen actually useful. The front-passenger screen also has a privacy mode to prevent driver distraction. Audi also includes native voice recognition with ChatGPT integration, but even with the added chatbot, it proved less reliable than Mercedes’ benchmark system. It required specific wording to comprehend requests, such as opening the driver-assist menu, that often made it easier to just use the touchscreen. Audi’s software engineers also seemed to have less of a sense of humor than their counterparts at Mercedes. When prompted, that automaker’s voice assistant will respond with some (admittedly corny) jokes, while Audi’s is left shrugging its virtual shoulders. In Europe, the A6 e-tron will also be available with digital sideview mirrors and adaptive matrix headlights, but only the latter feature is a real loss. Adaptive lighting can redirect light beams instantly to help avoid blinding oncoming drivers, but the primary benefit of replacing exterior mirrors with cameras is a slight dip in aerodynamic drag. And there likely won’t be a difference between the U.S. and other markets in driver-assist feature content. 2025 Audi A6 e-tron: driving experience Driving a luxury sedan at a vacation destination like Tenerife isn’t exactly a tough day at the office, but even in that glamorous environment, it took the right set of circumstances for the A6 e-tron to truly shine. I started out in the most powerful S6 e-tron version. This dual-motor all-wheel drive model produces 543 horsepower, which will get it from zero to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds, Audi estimates. That makes the Audi just as quick as a BMW i5 M60 despite a 50-hp deficit and just 0.5 seconds behind a Mercedes-AMG EQE despite being down 74 hp to that car. S6 models also have a higher top speed of 149 mph, compared to 130 mph for A6 models. On the tight, twisty roads where the day’s driving began, though, the S6 didn’t feel nearly as capable as the spec sheet suggests. Audi reserves the RS badge for its true performance models, but S models have traditionally had more than a hint of sportiness. In this S6, though, the only hint of that was air-suspension tuning that was too firm to be truly comfortable yet still couldn’t cope with this car’s mass. The steering was also loose and imprecise, requiring bus-like levels of input to get the nose pointed in the right direction and then multiple corrections mid-corner to keep it that way. I was quite frankly happy to hand the S6 e-tron off to another driver after my first stint, but things improved with a second run on a different stretch of road further away from Tenerife’s coast in the surreal environment of Teide National Park. As the road climbed toward the dormant volcano Mt. Teide, through a desert landscape that would make a great location for a sci-fi movie, it unkinked itself into fast sweepers and long straightaways where the S6 showed what it can really do. Its previous clumsiness was replaced by poise as the big sedan glided from corner to corner and blasted down the straights. On a road like this — or, it’s easy to imagine, a German autobahn — it’s great. That the S6 e-tron is a more high-speed cruiser than a sports sedan also makes it redundant, though. I also got to spend some time behind the wheel of a single-motor rear-wheel drive A6 e-tron, which in the U.S. will make 375 hp, getting it from zero to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds — quicker than single-motor versions of the BMW i5 or Mercedes EQE. This version was still plenty quick and more pleasant to drive in a wider array of situations. Its suspension allowed more body roll but was also more compliant, giving the A6 a more comfortable ride. And while the steering was still disappointing, the front end felt more eager to turn when entering tight corners. That makes the single-motor A6 e-tron my preferred choice for now. Audi is also bringing a dual-motor A6 e-tron quattro variant to the U.S. that, with 456 hp and a 4.3-second zero-to-60 mph time, splits the difference between the two versions made available for this test drive. Regardless of the number of motors and their state of tune, A6 e-tron models also feature the latest version of Audi’s regenerative braking system. Engineers dial higher levels of regeneration, but the A6 e-tron still falls short of true one-pedal driving. That’s OK, though, because of the excellent blending of regenerative and friction braking. Unlike some other EVs, the A6 e-tron will actually continue to recover energy even when the brake pedal is pressed, but that process is completely opaque. Audi also provides multiple levels of regeneration so drivers can adjust to fit their style. 2025 Audi A6 e-tron: range and charging All A6 e-tron models have a 100-kilowatt-hour battery pack with 94.4 kWh of usable capacity. That’s pretty big, but Audi also expects it to return big-range numbers. Official ratings won’t be available until closer to the A6 e-tron’s U.S. launch, but Audi estimates 370 miles for the single-motor version and up to 390 miles with an optional Ultra spec that includes smaller 19-inch wheels. If that holds up, the Audi will have a clear advantage over the rival BMW i5 and Mercedes EQE, which currently max out at 295 miles and 308 miles, respectively. The estimated range dips to 333 miles for the dual-motor A6 e-tron quattro and 324 miles for the more powerful S6 e-tron, but this still shows a clear improvement in efficiency over Audi’s first-generation EVs. This is one area where the advantages of the new PPE architecture are apparent. The other is charging. PPE incorporates an 800-volt electrical architecture like what Audi previously used in the e-tron GT , which allows for faster charging. The A6 e-tron is capable of DC fast-charging at up to 270 kilowatts, which can accomplish a 10% to 80% charge in 21 minutes or recover 135 miles of range after 10 minutes of charging, according to Audi. The automaker claims to have maintained the flat charging curve of its previous EVs, ensuring maximum power as long as possible while providing more power at the start of charging to help drivers get the most out of quick-charge stop. 2025 Audi A6 e-tron: How DT would configure this car Right now, it doesn’t really seem necessary to upgrade from the base single-motor A6 e-tron. It’s plenty quick, has by far the most range, and is likely to be the least-expensive version. The dual-motor A6 e-tron quattro should satisfy buyers who need all-wheel drive, while the S6 e-tron doesn’t really do enough to justify its elevated status in the lineup. Final pricing information will be released closer to the A6 e-tron’s U.S. launch, but Audi will have to aim for a base price under $80,000 to put this sedan in the same ballpark as the rival BMW i5 and Mercedes-Benz EQE . The Audi looks and feels the most like a traditional luxury sedan, but the BMW aims for sportier driving dynamics, while the Mercedes has a nicer interior. The single-motor Lucid Air Pure will also likely be in the same price range, offering a pleasant and engaging driving experience with up to 402 miles of range. And while Audi has put a lot of effort into design, efficiency, and charging, other areas of the A6 e-tron — like chassis tuning and interior materials — feel undercooked. That’s going to make this luxury EV a tougher sell than it perhaps should be, whether it’s compared to all-electric rivals or Audi’s own gasoline models.

Semona scores 15 as Stonehill takes down Lafayette 70-65

Alabama and Mississippi tumbled out of the top 10 of The Associated Press Top 25 poll Sunday and Miami and SMU moved in following a chaotic weekend in the SEC and across college football in general. Oregon is No. 1 for the sixth straight week and Ohio State, Texas and Penn State held their places behind the Ducks, who are the last unbeaten team. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.

Bluesky finds with growth comes growing painsVermont News & Media partners with Thruhike to promote all things Southern Vermont

To Stratford With Love a three-generation celebration as 36th event nearsStuck in the muck: Scientists study carbon trapped by Elkhorn Slough

However, summer is only six months away and I recently attended a seminar which explained about Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) meters and the service which is due to be switched off in June. The RTS system, which uses long-wave radio signals to tell some electricity meters to switch between on and off-peak, is a legacy technology and no longer viable. Without a meter upgrade, some affected homes, schools and businesses could be left without heating and hot water, or unable to turn off their heating. Ofgem has been working with suppliers and consumer groups in tackling the challenges of migrating households which have an RTS meter before the service ends on June 30. Ofgem are keen to stress the importance of getting your RTS meter replaced and have called for suppliers and stakeholders to come together and combine resources to try and reach as many households as possible before the service is switched off. Energy suppliers have been contacting customers since 2023 about the issue. I understand that some of my constituents may be cautious about acting on communications received from energy suppliers; however, this issue is real and the industry has asked for help in getting consumers to contact their suppliers to arrange for an upgrade before the switch-off. If you haven’t already been contacted, I urge all of you who may be impacted to contact your supplier now for advice on how to get an upgrade. Even if you live in privately rented accommodation and have an RTS meter, your supplier is obliged to replace this. From January, there will be large-scale public awareness on consumer engagement via TV and radio to alert energy consumers to this serious issue and to encourage them to contact their supplier to find out if their meter requires upgrading. The industry has also signed up to the RTS Call To Action, which is a collective commitment to rapidly increase the pace and number of RTS upgrades and to prioritise known vulnerable consumers. This will also ensure customers have working heating and hot water after June 30 and inform them of the risks of rejecting an upgraded service. If you have, or think you may have, an RTS meter, please get in touch with your supplier now.A stampede at a football match dedicated to Guinea’s junta chief killed at least 56 people, the government said on Monday, as the opposition accused the military-led authorities of being “directly responsible” for the tragedy. Fans at Sunday’s game in the second city of N’Zerekore invaded the pitch after one or two players were sent off and a penalty was awarded to the opposing side Labe at the end of the game, witnesses said. The events had initially been reported as clashes between fans. Officials watching the match, including two ministers, were prevented from leaving, prompting stone throwing and the firing of tear gas by security forces, a witness said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Panic quickly set in, leading to an uncontrollable stampede,” he said. “People were trampled underfoot or injured as they tried to flee,” he added. The match in the southeastern city was the final of a tournament organised in honour of Guinea’s junta leader, General Mamady Doumbouya, who seized power in a 2021 coup and has installed himself as president. The opposition has accused the junta of using sport for political ends. Videos circulating on social media, which AFP was unable to immediately verify, show a huge crowd packed in the dilapidated stadium. “The thousands of people at the stadium were gripped by panic and fear. It was every man for himself,” said a local official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Protests of dissatisfaction with refereeing decisions led to stone-throwing by supporters, resulting in fatal stampedes,” the government said in a statement which was read out on national television. “Hospital services have put the provisional death toll at 56, with several others injured,” it added, describing the incident as a “tragic event”. Videos posted on social media showed chaotic scenes, with people climbing what appear to be the stadium’s perimeter walls to escape. Others showed numerous bodies lying on the ground. Doctors told AFP on Sunday that dozens had died. Access to verified information in the remote part of the West African country is limited. Local media reported that hospital wards and a morgue were overwhelmed by the injured and dead. “The government is doing everything possible to respond to this tragic event,” Doumbouya said in a statement on social media. “An emergency mission led by the prime minister has been dispatched,” he added. Doumbouya said a commission of enquiry would be set up “to rule on the causes of this tragedy and to determine who is responsible”. The junta chief called for calm in the West African nation, which has a turbulent political history and remains poor despite considerable natural resources. The crackdown on an opposition rally at a stadium in the capital Conakry left at least 156 people dead in 2009, according to a UN-mandated international commission of enquiry. Such football tournaments and other public gatherings have become common in Guinea in recent weeks, in what is widely seen as a campaign to promote Doumbouya’s candidacy in any future presidential election. The military seized power by force in September 2021 by overthrowing civilian President Alpha Conde. Under international pressure, the junta pledged to hand power back to a civilian government by the end of 2024 but has since made clear it will not. Several of Doumbouya’s aides have recently expressed their support for his possible presidential bid. One of the last remaining dissident voices in Guinea, the National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC), published a statement expressing its “outrage” at the tragedy in N’Zerekore. It said it held the junta chief and his government “directly responsible for this disaster, which cost the lives of innocent citizens, including many children”. “This demonstrates the cynical use of sport by the junta, exploiting these images of mobilisation for political ends,” the statement added. Related Story QFA forms new LOC for premier football events 116 killed in stampede at India gathering

In this giving season, New York City’s nonprofit sector faces overlapping crises that are fraying the very fabric of community support for millions of New Yorkers. News reports in recent weeks have detailed the bureaucratic nightmare nonprofits have faced for years: chronic delays and systematic failures in government payments are pushing many to the brink of financial collapse. Nonprofits are the backbone of critical social services programs for millions of New Yorkers in education, healthcare, and community development. Yet, our mission-driven nonprofit community has been asked to soldier on through a conditions that no company in the private sector would accept, including severely delayed payments, unpredictable reimbursement cycles, and suffocating administrative hurdles. Get the Full Story These payment delays frequently stretch over many months, sometimes even years, and they aren’t just inconveniences—they’re existential threats. Organizations are forced to dip into reserve funds, take out emergency lines of credit, or dramatically cut services just to stay afloat. Some have been forced to reduce staff or shut down entirely. Nonprofits are also facing a seachange in their relationship with private donors and supportive community members, who increasingly want more meaningful involvement that goes beyond just writing a check. Across the country, there is a growing skepticism towards traditional institutional approaches, driven by a broader decline in trust in established organizations. Flexible giving vehicles, like donor advised funds, offer unprecedented creativity in how supporters can take action on causes they care about. This change in how philanthropy works actually presents an enormous opportunity to reimagine how we support vulnerable communities in New York – and should be part of the solution to the contracting challenges. Community organizations should be working to lower barriers to participation, making it easier for community members to contribute in ways that feel authentic and impactful. At Brooklyn Org, we’re embracing this challenge head-on. We’ve rebranded so our name reflects a more accessible, and less institutional, approach to connecting with Brooklyn’s residents. But this change goes well beyond a cosmetic name-change: it means creating multiple pathways for New Yorkers to engage that go beyond making large financial contributions. It means investing in new programs that provide opportunities for volunteering, small-scale giving, and direct community involvement. Community foundations must also transform the help we provide to nonprofits to build their own capacities. Brooklyn Org has helped more than 250 nonprofits understand how to more effectively tell their own stories, reach broader audiences, and even recruit new board members by leveraging AI technology and new digital outreach techniques. We also must expand our understanding of who can be a donor, moving beyond transactional fundraising to create genuine community connections. Instead of targeting the same traditional donor pools, we must work to engage a more diverse group of supporters—racially, economically, and generationally. This means launching new initiatives, like membership programs, that focus on building sustained relationships and experiences. This moment of challenge is, in reality, a moment of incredible potential. By reimagining philanthropy—making it more accessible, transparent, and personally meaningful—we can create a more robust, engaged, and supportive community ecosystem. New York has always responded to challenges with innovation, and this moment should be no different. The future of giving isn’t about institutions. It’s about connections. It’s about empowerment. And it’s about recognizing that every one of us has a role to play in building the community we want to see. Jocelynne Rainey is the President and CEO of Brooklyn Org .Mutual of America Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Seagate Technology Holdings plc ( NASDAQ:STX – Free Report ) by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,853 shares of the data storage provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,227 shares during the period. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Seagate Technology were worth $2,832,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in STX. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Seagate Technology by 6.2% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 70,117 shares of the data storage provider’s stock worth $7,680,000 after acquiring an additional 4,094 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC bought a new position in shares of Seagate Technology during the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,598,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Seagate Technology by 6.8% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 3,274 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $359,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Seagate Technology by 14.4% in the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 30,578 shares of the data storage provider’s stock worth $3,349,000 after purchasing an additional 3,848 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ING Groep NV lifted its position in shares of Seagate Technology by 10.0% in the third quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 19,785 shares of the data storage provider’s stock worth $2,167,000 after buying an additional 1,805 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.87% of the company’s stock. Insider Activity In other news, Director Yolanda Lee Conyers sold 750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.10, for a total transaction of $72,075.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,034 shares in the company, valued at approximately $291,567.40. This trade represents a 19.82 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link . Also, EVP Ban Seng Teh sold 4,872 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total transaction of $535,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,969 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,096,590. This trade represents a 32.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 201,820 shares of company stock worth $21,892,856. Company insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock. Seagate Technology Price Performance Seagate Technology ( NASDAQ:STX – Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The data storage provider reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.28. Seagate Technology had a net margin of 11.34% and a negative return on equity of 32.19%. The firm had revenue of $2.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.13 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.34) earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 49.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Seagate Technology Holdings plc will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Seagate Technology Increases Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, December 15th will be given a dividend of $0.72 per share. This is an increase from Seagate Technology’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.89%. Seagate Technology’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.11%. Analyst Ratings Changes A number of analysts have issued reports on STX shares. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Seagate Technology from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Northland Securities upped their price target on shares of Seagate Technology from $142.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $150.00 price objective on shares of Seagate Technology in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Seagate Technology from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price target on Seagate Technology from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $118.83. View Our Latest Report on Seagate Technology Seagate Technology Profile ( Free Report ) Seagate Technology Holdings plc provides data storage technology and solutions in Singapore, the United States, the Netherlands, and internationally. It provides mass capacity storage products, including enterprise nearline hard disk drives (HDDs), enterprise nearline solid state drives (SSDs), enterprise nearline systems, video and image HDDs, and network-attached storage drives. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Seagate Technology Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Seagate Technology and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

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Iran Summons Swiss Ambassador Over US And Italy ArrestsRylan Clark has been flooded with messages as he marked what should be considered a major milestone what it comes to his career. The TV and radio star took to social media to recognise that it had officially been 12 years since he left The X Factor. But there was a time when we may have seen Rylan much, much sooner that his appearance on the ITV singing show, headed up by Simon Cowell. The self-confessed Big Brother superfan has previously claimed he was 'booted off' the hit reality show when he was 18 - before even making it into the famous house But that was just a setback in Rylan's plans to make it. He looked for other ways to make his name on TV and in 2010 he reached the final of Sky Living modelling series, Signed by Katie Price. But it wasn't until 2012 that he really hit the big time with a memorable turn on The X Factor where he was mentored by Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger. READ MORE: Stacey Solomon addresses 'estranged' Joe Swash relationship after heading out solo with kids He ended up finishing the ITV singing competition, after THAT memorable crying scene, in fifth place and soon his Big Brother opportunity came around again and he won Celebrity Big Brother 11 in 2013. Later that year, he presented Big Brother's Bit on the Side, This Morning and The Xtra Factor and the rest, as they say is history. Rylan, 35, is now a BBC Radio 2 presenter, hosting his own Saturday afternoon show for the station, among the presenters who covers the annual Eurovision Song Contest for the broadcaster and has a string of other TV projects under his belt - including dating show and travel series. On Monday (November 25), Rylan reflected on the anniversary of his X Factor departure. Sharing a selfie from the car as he was chauffeured around, the Essex-born star said: "12 years ago today I left The X Factor as a quarter finalist. Still going. Cheers everyone, appreciate it x." Rylan Clark (Image: Rylan Clark Instagram) Loose Women star Ruth Langsford was quick to respond, writing: "Of COURSE you are!!" Doctor Who's Russell T Davies replied: "Amazing!" West End star Marisha Wallace commented: "Oh the places you will go." Socialite Lizzie Cundy added: "So proud of you my darling friend ...amazing." And Rylan's followers were also quick to respond with support. @charl0ttesayshi said: "Proud of you!! Here’s to the next 12 & beyond." @anniejarrett28 commented: "You’ve had the last laugh! National treasure." @jackiedorrianjagdambe wrote: "Oh my word is that really 12 years ago!!! You are amazing @rylan." @janebailey4818 added: "Well deserved, Rylan. I love seeing you on TV and listening to your radio show."

Eagles' DeVonta Smith In Danger of Missing Week 12While general purpose chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT are the focus of initial AI consumer hype, AI products with much more specific applications have begun to proliferate. The biggest boom is perhaps in the area of productivity software, with new startups emerging every day from the morass of tech finance capital to offer us the promise of more streamlined, hassle-free workflows. After all, efficiency is one of the most obsessed-over metrics in the modern workplace. But are the promises made by AI productivity apps legit, or are they high tech snake oil? To answer that, we need to look at how they work. AI productivity tools take on many different forms, with one of the more popular manifesting in products such as Beloga, which aggregate relatively small amounts of user-inputted data relating to your person or business and use them to deliver insights or accomplish tasks. These apps may not be the stars of the AI world, but they may have more concrete applications in the short term compared to general purpose chatbots. Not only are the newest AI productivity apps meant to organize your personal data, but they can be designed with those specific purposes in mind. So, here's how products like Beloga work, and what they can do for you. At their core, Beloga and other such AI productivity apps are like a traditional notebook app but with the addition of an AI language model. They use the same underlying technology as large-scale AI products like ChatGPT to scan various data and use them to answer questions. Beloga in particular is similar to Google's podcast-generating NotebookLM . Instead of responding to prompts from a knowledge base of nearly every written text on earth, Beloga and NotebookLM allow users to curate their own data sets. For example, if you're a researcher studying asteroids, you might have a large number of spreadsheets with trajectory information, other documents including physics, and so on. You can input all of that data into one of these programs, and then ask the AI to do things like compare the trajectories of different asteroids to see if they share patterns. Other productivity apps work similarly. For example, one app called Fabric can be connected to your files across Dropbox, Evernote, Notion, Google Drive, and so forth. Rather than being used for specific projects like with Beloga or NotebookLM, Fabric is meant as a general organization tool that can track down files based on natural language prompts. Despite the function of the app being different, it is using the same generative AI technology as the aforementioned research apps. Think of ChatGPT or Gemini as librarians in the Library of Congress, with access to nearly unlimited troves of information, whereas personal productivity AI apps are more like a home library with your personally curated collection of texts. There are quite a few problems with AI, and they've led to some nightmare scenarios with current generation AI . In addition to the phenomenon of hallucination , which is when an AI malfunctions and appears to make something up out of thin air, large language models are prone to drifting away from the conversation at hand, or even entirely forget what they're doing mid-conversation. Additionally, thanks to their underlying need for endless reams of information to train on, they have become aggressive vectors for data scraping, encouraging the worst anti-privacy impulses of big tech. Productivity apps like Beloga, Fabric, NotebookLM, and so forth have the potential to solve some of these issues, but are largely not free of them. There's nothing to suggest these apps are less prone to spouting falsehoods. Even when they answer coherently, they may be misunderstanding information in their data sets, so it's best to double check responses before using them. Beloga in particular assures users that its AI "verifies accuracy" but if it had a 100% accuracy rate, the company would have solved the most pernicious issue in all of AI research, which seems unlikely. The more sensitive the information you import into a program like Beloga, or the more important the task you use them for, the more imperative the need to ensure the accuracy of the replies you get. This means redoing all the work it's supposed to do for you, which takes time and ultimately reduces efficiency. Secondly, you've got to consider data privacy. Some AI productivity tools have more robust privacy policies than others, but anytime your data is being processed off-device, it is at risk of being abused or stolen.Sunday, December 22, 2024 Search Search By MEO Egypt recently became the focal point of international diplomacy as it welcomed leaders from the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation to its New Administrative Capital. The summit, held against a backdrop of regional tensions, focused on key issues ranging from the ongoing Israeli aggression in Gaza to humanitarian crises in Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria. The D-8 , or Developing-8, is a strategic coalition of eight countries: Egypt, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey. This summit marked a significant milestone with Azerbaijan joining as the ninth member on December 19, 2024, expanding the group’s influence and reach. T his summit was notably marked by the first visit of an Iranian president to Egypt in over a decade. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian engaged in crucial dialogues aimed at mending bilateral relations and promoting regional stability through peaceful means. A key highlight, as well, was Al-Sisi’s meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, where they explored avenues to strengthen economic, trade, and investment ties. Discussions also touched upon pressing regional issues, including conflicts in Gaza, Syria, Libya, Sudan, and Somalia. I n separate meetings with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Al-Sisi emphasized the urgent need for a ceasefire and reiterated opposition to Israeli occupation in Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria. These discussions underscored Egypt’s proactive role in fostering dialogue and peace in the region. T he summit culminated in the Cairo Declaration, a comprehensive roadmap for development, cooperation, and inclusivity among member states. It outlines shared goals of justice, equality, and fraternity, focusing on key sectors such as agriculture, energy, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). T he declaration, aligning with the D-8 Decennial Roadmap, prioritizes disaster management, healthcare collaboration, and women’s economic empowerment as catalysts for resilience and progress. Leaders committed to fostering sustainable development, enhancing peace, and building a future rooted in cooperation and mutual respect. A significant portion of the declaration emphasized enhancing investment opportunities and expanding trade among member nations, leveraging digital platforms as effective mechanisms. The importance of digital transformation, e-commerce, and fintech in empowering SMEs and ensuring inclusive growth was highlighted as essential for economic resilience. D r. Amina El-Sayed, an economist at the Cairo Institute for Economic Development, commented, “The emphasis on digital trade and innovation is crucial as we move towards a more interconnected global economy. It paves the way for D-8 countries to harness emerging technologies and drive sustainable growth.” T he Cairo Declaration reiterated the D-8’s commitment to multilateralism, enriched by partnerships with international bodies such as the United Nations. It also underscored the necessity of advancing the preferential trade agreement within the D-8 to a more comprehensive economic partnership, aiming to increase intra-trade and foster economic solidarity. I n exclusive insights shared with MEO, a senior official from the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed, “The D-8 summit is not just about economic cooperation but also about forging a path to peaceful coexistence and regional stability.” T he D-8 summit in Egypt represents a pivotal moment in regional and global diplomacy. As the member states look to the future, the focus remains on addressing global challenges such as poverty, climate change, and inequality through enhanced cooperation and innovation. Previous article Egypt’s Stock Market: Navigating Mixed Results and Future Opportunities

Meta Platforms, owner of Facebook, will stand trial in April following allegations by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that it purchased Instagram and WhatsApp to suppress budding competition. The case will be heard in a Washington court, as decided on Monday by the presiding judge. The FTC, which initiated the lawsuit in 2020 during the Trump administration, accuses Meta of illegal monopoly practices in the personal social networking space. It asserts that Meta overpaid for Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014 as a strategy to neutralize potential threats rather than competing within the mobile ecosystem. Judge James Boasberg has set April 14 as the trial date. He dismissed Meta's argument that the case relies on a narrow perspective of social media markets, neglecting competition from platforms like TikTok, YouTube, X, and LinkedIn. Despite these points, the judge acknowledged the difficulties posed by time and technological advancements in shaping the FTC's market claims. (With inputs from agencies.)